Pros
- Faster for the same money.
Cons
- Only slightly faster.
Our Verdict
Don’t let processor envy upset you, just buy the fastest machine you can afford when you need a machine. It is a good idea to buy just after a speed bump as you may get an extra few months as the fastest machine in town. If you can’t afford to be so cutting edge don’t worry, you most likely wouldn’t notice the 50MHz difference.
Apple has released a 450MHz version of the G3: a speed bump for no extra money. Once, buying a Mac was risky, because you never new if there was a new, faster, bigger and better one just around the corner. Now all that guesswork is a thing of the past, there is always a bigger, faster, better machine just around the corner. The 450MHz G3 offers a relatively modest improvement in speed. The 12.5 per cent increase in processor speed is somewhat diluted when factored in with the other speed critical parts of the computer. When we test a Mac we test disk speed and the video card to give an overall score. The score is divided three ways, processor, disk and video. The 450MHz G3 only affects the processor speed so only one third of the score changes, making for an almost unnoticeable overall improvement. I understand that the 450MHz G3 is a depressing thing for people who have just bought the 400MHz version. It’s never good to see a new model for the same price. But we must be grown up about this and take it on the chin, because what are the alternatives. A few years ago there were people actually suggesting that technology was developing too fast, and measures to stop this and the associated depreciation of computer values. No, we should just be thankful that we are getting something extra for no extra money.